Jennifer Carter

Jennifer Carter is a Professor in the Department of Art History at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), where she also serves as Director of the graduate museology program. Her academic work bridges museology, art and architectural history, and social justice, with a focus on human rights museology and museum representation.

• PhD in History and Theory of Architecture, McGill University
• MA in Art History, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
• BA (Honours) in Art History, McGill University

Her research explores how museums mediate and are shaped by cultural, political, and ethical frameworks. Two primary research axes include: (1) the role of museums in advancing human rights and social justice, particularly in institutions across Asia, North and South America; and (2) the interplay between museum architecture, exhibition design, and representation. These areas are supported by funding from SSHRC and FRQSC.

The most recent publications reflect a strong interdisciplinary focus, combining museology with philosophy, architecture, and human rights discourse. Themes include curatorial ethics, national identity in museums, digital curation, and the semiotics of exhibition spaces. Her upcoming book, Museums in a Culture of Human Rights: New Museums Around the Globe, further consolidates her leadership in this emerging field.

Scientific Recognition and Editorial Role:

• Associate Editor, Museum Management and Curatorship (Taylor & Francis / Routledge, UK, since 2013)
• Published in leading international journals such as Curator, MediaTropes, Information Research, and National Museums: New Studies from Around the World

Jennifer Carter has held professional roles at the Canadian Centre for Architecture, Art Gallery of Ontario, and McGill’s Canadian Architecture Collection. She has co-curated exhibitions including Drawing from Ideas, Building from Books, Women and Homelessness, and Safdie's Sixties: Looking Forward to Looking Back. Prior to joining UQAM, she was a Professor in Museum Studies at the University of Toronto (2008–2011). She is currently leading a SSHRC- and FRQSC-funded research project on human rights museology, examining how justice and rights are negotiated curatorially and pedagogically in cultural institutions. No formal advising or team affiliations are mentioned, though her editorial and curatorial roles indicate strong collaborative engagement.